Did Vikings found Russia?

Partly, yes, but not in the way the old story says. Most historians today think the Rus', the people who gave Kievan Rus' its name, came from Scandinavia, and that a Scandinavian elite helped form the first East Slavic state. They also agree that this elite turned Slavic remarkably fast. As one historian put it, "in 839, the Rus were Swedes; in 1043 the Rus were Slavs." The Viking elite did not stay Viking for long.

The tale most people know comes from the Primary Chronicle, written in the 12th century. It says that in 862 the northern tribes drove out the Varangians, and refused them tribute. Then they sent word to the Rus': "Our land is great and rich, but there is no order in it. Come to rule and reign over us." A prince named Rurik arrived, and his family, the Rurik dynasty, ruled Kievan Rus' for centuries.

Modern scholars don't trust this neat invitation. They think the priests who wrote the Chronicle probably made it up, both to explain how Vikings had taken over so easily and to give the ruling dynasty a respectable origin.

The better evidence is scattered clues. The name Rus' is thought to come from an Old Norse word for men who row, since boats were the way to travel the rivers. The first few rulers carry Norse names: Rurik was once Hrærekr, and Olga was once Helga. Only from Olga's son Sviatoslav onwards do Slavic names take over. And a record from the year 839 has a group called the Rhos say they were Swedes.

Why does this matter so much? In 1749 a German historian argued exactly this to a Russian audience and caused such an uproar that he could not finish his speech. Where a state came from is never only a question about the past.